Electroless Ni–P coating of different magnesium alloys

Coating of AZ31B, AE 42 and ZRE1 wrought magnesium alloys was carried out using electroless Ni plating technique in a solution of nickel sulphate, sodium hypophosphite, ammonium hydrogen fluoride and glycine with a zinc immersion pre-treatment.The results of SEM/EDX investigations and X-ray diffraction indicate that the coat exhibit a typical surface morphology with compact nodules with good adherence to the substrate. The coat was composed of amorphous structure, which transformed to a mixture of crystalline Ni and Ni3P precipitates after heat treatment at 673°K for 1 h. The phosphorous (P) content increased gradually from the substrate towards the surface reaching a maximum of 10 wt.% to 18 wt.% on the surface depending on the substrate alloy and the thickness of deposit. The hardness of the coat was found to increase with the P content and also after heat treatment. The electrochemical corrosion test in NaCl solution indicated a great improvement in the corrosion resistance of the Mg substrates and that a noble behaviour of Ni–P was obtained regardless of the heat treatment process. The forming ability test indicates that hot rolling of the coated substrate does not succeed to keep a continuous coat due to cracking of the coat in both as-coated and heat treated specimens.